We are currently residing in “Cooma” a regional town in the state of New South Wales-Australia, which is the largest town in the snowy mountain region and popularly known as the “Gateway to the Snowy Mountain Ski Fields.
Cooma is strategically positioned as it is within 100kms radius from many important places around, such as Australian Capital city of Canberra, Mighty Snowy Mountains, Valleys of Bega, Prominent National Parks, Snow fed River banks, tranquil hamlets and of course the beautiful coastal towns of New South Wales.
Cooma’s location gives us plenty of opportunities for us to travel and explore many nearby places on weekends. Public transport is available to many places from Cooma; however, it takes meticulous planning and efforts to travel using public transport. Most convenient mode of transport for us is to have a personal car, it gives us lot of flexibility in terms of time and cost for weekend trips.
Part 1 (EDEN Coast)
This weekend we planned our trip to Eden, a coastal town in the south coast of NSW which is a 2-hr. drive from Cooma, (Approx.- 153 Kms from Cooma). We were all excited for one thing in this trip which was “Whale Watching.”
We prebooked a room in a holiday and caravan park named “Discovery Parks” (https://www.discoveryholidayparks.com.au) and started our journey on Friday at around 4.30 in the evening. The drive was pleasant all along except a small stretch just before Bega Valley wherein there is steep descent for about 10kms. We reached Discovery parks around 6.40 In the evening and had a hassle-free check in.
We got to know that there is no dining facility in the discovery park premises, so had to travel back 8kms to find restaurants in EDEN CBD. Luckily found a good Chinese restaurant named “Golden Ocean”; the food was delicious, and the prices were reasonable. Headed back to hotel, after a long day of work and travel we were off to sleep quickly.
Saturday – Whale Watching
After extensive research on whale watching experiences in EDEN, we booked with Cat Balou Cruises https://www.catbalou.com.au/tours/whale-watching-cruise for whale watching. We selected 3hr cruise which costed 300$ (AUD) for a family of 4 with 2 adults and 2 kids. Although 2 hr. cruises are recommended for family with kids, we decided to add an hour more to not miss any experience.
The Cruise starts at 8am and it is expected that all the passengers to be on board by 7.45 am. The Cruise ship is spacious with large decks at lower and upper floors providing enough space for everyone on board to sit and watch this natural spectacle.
Humpback Whales migrate pass through NSW Coast to Antarctica for southern hemisphere summers during the months of August to November, this gives a chance to watch the whale movement very closely. Eden is known for its history of whaling and is considered as one of the best places for humpback whale migration along the south coast.
We were lucky on the day for 2 reasons, Firstly, we got an opportunity to see plenty of dolphins and whales and secondly got a chance to witness “Breach” which is when a whale completely jumps out of water. We were amazed by these water creatures and having them seen directly for the first time in life was a mesmerizing experience.
The Facilities in the cruise was good, A knowledgeable guide with the plethora of information on whales and its lifestyle, complimentary hot beverage, sick sickness medicine, free binoculars for viewing whales etc. It is strongly recommended to carry Sunglasses, warm clothing, and a camera to capture magic.
After 3 hours of excitement reached back to the shores and moved onto the next location, Long Point Lookout at Merimbula.
Long Point lookout, Merimbula- It is also a short walking trail of 1km in each direction and the place known for whale watching, saw few whale maneuvers from the top view.This place is so calm and one can feel the vastness of the sea here.
After this trek and we were famished, we explored for food options and found an Italian restaurant in Merimbula “DUCIS”, the food was good, and the serving portions were large.
Goodenia Rain Forest: – With the images of the water beasts still in mind we started driving to our next destination, kids were tired and were off to sleep. Half of the distance is unpaved road, and it was not a great idea to go there without a four-wheel drive, luckily made it to the destination without any issue.
It was sometime for us to have visited any dense forest, so this small trail of around 1 km deep inside the lush green forest was really refreshing, after all the rugged terrain trail, finally felt it was worth it. Also, observed some birds with incredible sounds which was so loud and sharp.
The trail is nice and simple and is suited for all skill levels, make sure you carry enough water as the way back is bit steep and you may feel tired/dehydrated.
Finished our walk and came back to picnic point (starting point of trail) to see kids playing and in good mood. After a day of fully action-packed activities, it was great to end it in such a place of peace and serenity.
Sunday – Discovery Park & Eden Lookout
We woke up to a beautiful sunny morning and decided to explore the facilities at discovery park. The accommodation has a direct access to the beach, the sea was calm & peaceful, and it was a great to start the day by playing in the waters.
After spending some time in salty waters, we planned to explore the swimming pool in the facility. The Pool is of decent size and the water was refreshing.
There are amazing plants and pretty birds which are a delight to watch in the campus, had a good walk all around the area, checked out and headed for our next destination for a lookout in Eden.
Eden lookout & Rotary Park– It’s just few minutes’ drive to reach this place from anywhere in Eden as it is near the CBD. We fell in love with this place the moment we saw it, the best part of it is its rugged coastline which offers spectacular views. One can also watch lot of boating activity ranging from small fishing boats to huge freight vessels.
The place is also an excellent picnic spot, it has good amenities with tables, chairs, rubbish bins, toilets, and plenty of parking space.
After watching Eden lookout, we decided to end our weekend adventures and return to Cooma. The word “EDEN” refers to a place of pristine or abundant natural beauty, and no doubt this place truly stands for its name. We will come back to see many other attractions this place has to offer in upcoming weekends. (Missed watching “Killer Whale Museum” in Eden due to COVID Restrictions).
Its another week to work hard and a wait to enjoy harder in the weekends.